Estimated reading time: 3 minutes 524 Words!
We stayed in bed this morning after yesterday’s great adventure traveling across town!
The office called first thing, so we did our usual work until about 10:00 am, then got ready for Girls’ Night Out at the Elkst. Two new prospective members joined us today. We invited one at the Halloween party, and the other came along with him. They seem quite interested!
After we departed, we went to the allergy doctor, and he did the normal screening test, and the only thing he came up with was that I am allergic to “dust mites”.
Dust mites are tiny, eight-legged relatives of spiders that live in household dust—especially in mattresses, bedding, carpets, and upholstered furniture. They feed mainly on shed flakes of human and pet skin. They don’t bite or live on people, but proteins in their waste and body fragments can trigger allergies or asthma in some people. They thrive in warm, humid conditions.
The doctor gave us some tips:
- Wash sheets and pillowcases weekly in hot water (about 54°C / 130°F or hotter), then dry thoroughly. If items can’t be washed hot, a hot dryer cycle may help. We change everything weekly and wash in hot water!
- Use allergen-proof covers on mattresses and pillows. We bought allergen-proof matress covers and changed the bankets to velour. Velour is a soft, plush fabric with a short, dense pile that feels somewhat like velvet. It’s often made from cotton or synthetic fibers and used for clothing, upholstery, and blankets. Unlike traditional velvet, velour is commonly knitted, so it tends to stretch more.
- Reduce dust-catching fabrics in bedrooms—especially wall-to-wall carpet, heavy curtains, and extra cushions or stuffed toys. Wash soft toys regularly or freeze them overnight, then wash away the allergens. We have no carpets or fabric curtains in the bedroom. We may consider moving the two throw–rugs by the sid eof the bed. Mary has a couple of frogs which are stuffed so theuy may go in the frrzer every week for a while.
The doc said the new bedding might take a week or so, but it ought to fix the problem!
After we got home, we played with the baby until she was tired, then went back to the office.
Mary was asked to speak to a ladies’ sorority (Delta Gamma) about life as a female doctor, so she was busy doing that!
Joe called and asked for some snaps of the backyard with the new lighting system on. We plan to add another light to cover the front of the backyard to eliminate shadows.
The back of the yard has lots of light, but we are seeing shadows in the front (bottom of the picture).
Joe plans to use swivel mounts for the lights, and the ones mounted on the HeShed should light up this part of the yard!
Mary worked on her speech for the Delta Gamma sorority coming up on the 11th. She wrote her speech, and I added some suggestions. It is now a ten-minute speech about ophthalmology.
We watched a little TV and then crashed!
